In baseball, pop time is the amount of time it takes for a catcher to throw a ball to a base after the catcher receives a pitch from the pitcher—i.e., the response time of the catcher. While pop time is typically measured with respect to throws to second base, e.g., in the case of a catcher attempting to throw out an offensive player attempting to steal second base, the pop time with respect to throws to first or third base, or any other target, can likewise be measured. Pop time is a very important metric as it provides an indication of the combined reflex, reaction, and physical abilities of a catcher, after receiving a pitch from the pitcher, to throw out a runner attempting to steal a base or to throw out a baserunner at first or third base who has taken too large of a lead-off.
Current methods for measuring a catcher's pop time are primarily manual, and rely on an individual (e.g., a coach) with a stop watch standing near the pitcher's mound or circle. The coach starts the stopwatch when he or she hears the “pop” or sound of the ball, thrown by a pitcher, hitting the catcher's mitt—and stops the stopwatch when he or she hears the pop of the ball, thrown by the catcher, hitting the glove of the player located at the target base (e.g., first, second, or third).
This manual method of timing introduces human error based on the overall reaction time of the stopwatch operator in starting and stopping the stopwatch. The same stopwatch operator can have different reaction times watching the same event over and over, which results in a lack of repeatability. Variations in the stopwatch operator's alertness, positioning, weather conditions, and other variable factors can all affect the ability to accurately start and stop the stopwatch. And, different stopwatch operators will typically have different reaction times, such that two coaches with stopwatches, side-by-side, measuring the same event, often have varying pop time measurements for the exact same event. Thus, current methods of measuring pop-time can result in timing errors that distort the actual pop time by as much as two tenths (0.2) of a second.
Because an average pop time for a baseball catcher in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 baseball is approximately 2.0 seconds, an error or variance of two tenths of a second in measuring pop time can greatly distort a catcher's actual ability. For example, an outstanding pop time for a baseball catcher throwing to second base is 1.80 seconds. An average pop time is 2.0 seconds. Thus, because of stopwatch operator variance, a catcher may have one stopwatch operator record a 1.80 second pop time and a second stopwatch operator record a 2.0 second pop time. If the first stopwatch operator is timing the event and records a 1.80 second pop time, that catcher will likely be in line for an NCAA Division 1 scholarship offer or a Major League Baseball draft pick. However, if the second stopwatch operator is timing the event and records a 2.0 second pop time, that same catcher might not receive any offers at all based on that recorded time.
Other player throwing and catching metrics are also valuable, such as a pitcher's release time, the pitcher's release time in combination with a catcher's pop time, and the time for any player to make a throw after catching the ball.
Thus, it can be seen that there remains a need in the art for a system and method to accurately record player response time metrics.